Apex Legends devs “considering” permanent loot changes after Locked & Loaded mode

Jacob Hale
Mozambique shotgun next to Apex Season 8 logo

Apex Legends developers Respawn Entertainment are considering making the Locked & Loaded loot changes permanent thanks to how well-received the adjusted mode was by fans.

Locked & Loaded took place during the Anniversary Collection event throughout February 2021, removing grey or Level 1 loot from the loot pool and spawning players in with it instead.

Rather than dropping in with no weapon, you’d automatically have a helmet, shield, Mozambique, optic and syringes, somewhat similar to how battle royale competitor Warzone is.

That said, while it was only supposed to be a limited time event, players loved it — and now it might become permanent.

Mozambique shotgun in Apex Legends
Locked & Loaded sees all players spawn in with level 1 loot, including the Mozambique.

After one fan took to Reddit to commend Locked & Loaded and ask Respawn to consider making it the standard, they were provided with a little more hope than they might have expected.

A lead game designer at Respawn, Daniel Klein, commented in response, giving fans a glimmer of hope.

“We are… considering [it],” he said. “Carefully. No conclusion has been reached yet. I’m personally a little worried about shortening the loot loop by removing grey loot… other than that though, it seems like all upside.”

Locked and loaded changes permanent in Apex Legends
The Locked and Loaded loot changes may well become permanent soon enough.

Of course, the dev was met with a multitude of responses, overwhelmingly in favor of the change, but some were against it.

Some players said that going back to the base game was difficult, even if it was only for a couple of games. Others, though, suggested that it might be best to start with the grey loot but no weapon.

This is a sentiment echoed by TSM’s Viss and ImperialHal, who want the change to be made permanent, though Hal also believes there should be no weapon off spawn.

Obviously, as Klein says, no conclusion has been reached yet. They will likely continue to test how best the Locked & Loaded loot changes could work in the regular battle royale, but it definitely seems as though players are keen to make this change permanent.

About The Author

Jacob is Dexerto’s UK Editor and Call of Duty esports specialist. With a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Creative Writing, he previously worked as an Editor at Ginx TV. Jacob was nominated for Journalist of the Year at the 2023 Esports Awards. Contact: jacob.hale@dexerto.com.